Totnes & Torbay

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one’s own or someone else’s physical, sexual, or psychological integrity, overwhelming the individual’s ability to cope.

Symptoms of PTSD include:

re-experiencing the original trauma(s) through flashbacks and/or nightmares

hypervigilance (described as “like being permanently on red alert”)

increased arousal—such as difficulty falling or staying asleep

exaggerated startle response

avoidance of thought and activities associated with the trauma

outbursts of anger

irritability

difficulty concentrating

poor memory

feeling detached

being unable to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable

intrusive thoughts

PTSD is caused by experiencing any of a wide range of events which produces intense negative feelings of “fear, helplessness or horror” in the observer or participant. Sources of such feelings may include (but are not limited to):

employment in occupations exposed to war (such as soldiers) or disaster (such as emergency service workers.)

accidents, illnesses, getting a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness

children or adults may develop PTSD symptoms by experiencing bullying or mobbing.

Clinical findings indicate that a failure to provide adequate treatment to children after they suffer a traumatic experience, depending on their vulnerability and the severity of the trauma, will ultimately lead to PTSD symptoms in adulthood.

How EFT can help with PTSD

EFT is a wonderful self-help healing tool for people suffering from PTSD. We use specialised EFT techniques which allow for the release of negative emotional charge surrounding the trauma, without the client having to re-experience the trauma all over again in the therapy room. The gentle methods we use are as painless as is possible, and the results of using EFT for PTSD are astounding. Vietnam veterans who had suffered for over 30 years and were hospitalised as a result, have found vast relief of their major symptoms after only a few sessions.

I have used EFT extensively for helping people to overcome PTSD and past trauma, including survivors of childhood abuse, ex service men and women (police), war veterans and car crash survivors.

The following video demonstrates how EFT has greatly helped war veterans (from Vietnam to Iraq) to overcome their PTSD symptoms and find a lasting peace with their traumatic memories: